The 11.7 million Americans still unemployed are finding their wallets getting even lighter as the sequester federal spending cuts kick in.

While the mandated decreases have been slow to trickle into the real economy, the unemployed are feeling the first big jolt.

As of July 1, the average weekly benefit of $289 will fall by $43 a week, adding pressure at a time when the labor market is trying to find its bearings but has yet to generate the kind of employment that would indicate a strong recovery.